Project management, as both a skill set and a discipline, offers structure and a path forward for continual improvement and change management within libraries. Most importantly for technical services, project management creates processes that can fairly and transparently indicate how resources are allocated and guide technical services departments as they prioritize needs. Supported by real-world examples drawn from both personal context and at the departmental level, Project Management in Technical Services: Practical Tips and Case Studies, by Elizabeth German and John Ballestro, presents practical ideas for incorporating project management techniques into technical services work.
What makes Project Management in Technical Services standout from other similar works, is the balance of theoretical information and practical application. While each chapter is a case study, the authors go beyond “this is what we did” to explain their projects within the context of project management theory and describe the thought behind the choices made throughout each process. While obviously useful to technical services professionals tasked with completing similar projects, the project management skills highlighted in the work may be applied library-wide to any project.
– Rene J. Erlandson, Independent Consultant
This well-organized and accessible volume points out that technical services is a broad field and, as academic libraries continue to be tasked to do more with less, prioritization of technical services library staff time and effort is paramount. Increasingly, library leaders and practitioners need to not only plan their project-based work well, they need to plan their own workloads and schedules well, too. Sometimes the jargon, tools, and theories of project management can be intimidating. This empowering volume shows that need not be the case.
– Bridget Euliano, Associate University Librarian, Access & Resource Management, George Mason University Libraries, Fairfax
